Vance to head to Hamptons for high-dollar fundraiser next weekend
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(WASHINGTON) — Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance is set to attend a high-dollar fundraiser in the Hamptons next weekend, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by ABC News.
The event is set to be hosted by a number of big-name Trump donors, including billionaire hedge-fund manager John Paulson and Omeed Malik, the president of the investment firm 1789 Capital.
Trump’s former secretary of commerce, Wilbur Ross, is also listed as a host for the fundraiser, which is billed as an “afternoon event with next Vice President of the United States.”
The fundraiser is set to be held in Southampton, New York, next Sunday, the invite said. Tickets to the roundtable event cost $25,000, with an “attendee” ticket going for $5,000. Inclusion in the host committee costs $50,000 per person, the invite said.
A person familiar with the event said it is expected to raise somewhere in the millions.
Notably, the event is also set to be cohosted by two former George W. Bush appointees. Cliff Sobel was the ambassador to the Netherlands under Bush, as well as ambassador to Brazil under the Bush and Obama administrations. Jeffrey served as Under Secretary, Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs after being nominated by Bush in 2007.
The event comes as both Trump and Vance have been on an aggressive fundraising blitz in recent weeks, with under three months to go until the election. Vance has been crisscrossing the country, raising money in California, Texas, North Carolina, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Minnesota.
Trump’s fundraiser at the home of billionaire financier Howard Lutnick’s home in Bridgehampton, New York, earlier this month was similarly backed by wealthy allies including Malik, Paulson and Richard Kurtz. Lutnick said that event brought in $15 million for the campaign and the Republican Party.
Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee’s joint fundraising operation together raised a total of $138.7 million in the month of July — an uptick from their June fundraising total — and entered August with $327 million in cash on hand, the campaign said.
It trailed the $310 million the Harris campaign said it raised in July, as they entered August with $377 million cash on hand. That haul was buoyed by the $200 million the campaign said it raised within a week of President Joe Biden dropping out of the race.
It’s unclear how much the operation had raised before Harris took over the campaign. The money was raised by the Biden and Harris campaigns, the Democratic National Committee, and their joint fundraising committees.
(MADISON, WI) — A Democratic Party staffer has filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission saying that the Green Party, which had achieved ballot access in the key battleground state this past year, should not be on the ballot.
In the complaint, Democratic National Committee Deputy Operations Director in Wisconsin David Strange alleges that the Green Party does not have anyone who would be allowed by state law to be a nominator for the Green Party’s presidential electors — meaning they cannot give a valid list of presidential electors, voiding their eligibility on the ticket.
It could make a difference if the Green Party can’t appear on the ballot in Wisconsin, a crucial battleground state that both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will look to win in November. Jill Stein is expected to become the party’s formal nominee at its virtual convention, which began Thursday, and will be announcing her running mate on Friday.
In the complaint, Strange writes that Wisconsin law requires the people nominating electors to be the political party’s state legislative candidates or legislators of the party. There are no Green Party legislators in Wisconsin.
“The August 13, 2024 primary was the last opportunity for [Wisconsin Green Party] to nominate a candidate for Wisconsin Senate or Assembly before the 2024 general election. But, WGP failed to nominate any candidates for Wisconsin Senate or Assembly, and a sufficient number of electors did not nominate a candidate by writing in any WGP candidate for Wisconsin Senate or Assembly,” Strange wrote in the complaint.
The complaint was first reported by the Associated Press and was provided to ABC News by the DNC. It has also since been posted on the Wisconsin Elections Commission website, which logs every complaint filed with that body.
“We take the nomination process for President and Vice President very seriously and believe every candidate should follow the rules,” senior adviser to the DNC Adrienne Watson said in a statement to ABC News.
“Because the Wisconsin Green Party hasn’t fielded candidates for legislative or statewide office and doesn’t have any current incumbent legislative or statewide office holders, it cannot nominate candidates and should not be on the ballot in November.”
ABC News reached out to the Wisconsin Elections Commission for more details about its timeline for making a decision about the complaint, but didn’t hear back by the time this story was published.
Jason Call, campaign manager for Stein’s campaign, told ABC News by email, “This is a fishing expedition conjured up by the DNC, and is in line with their statements back in March that they will hire an army of lawyers and infiltrators to find any angle of attack to prevent Green Party ballot access.”
Call said that the campaign “absolutely will be hiring counsel to defend our ballot line in Wisconsin.”
The national Green Party, when contacted for comment, deferred to Stein’s campaign.
The Green Party has ballot access in at least 20 states, according to ABC News’s current reporting, and both the party and Stein herself have been filing to get on the ballot in others.
The DNC, state Democratic parties and Democratic-aligned groups have separately filed various challenges or complaints across the country challenging ballot access petitions from some independent or third-party candidates such as Stein, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Cornel West. The challenges allege either missteps, fraudulent actions or legal reasons that should disqualify those candidates from getting on the ballot.
The campaigns have denied allegations of misconduct and have said they should legally qualify for the ballot.
The Nevada Democratic Party filed a lawsuit in June to the Green Party’s ballot access filing in Nevada, which a judge has since dismissed, the Nevada Independent reported on Monday.
Stein, a physician and environmentalist, has campaigned on climate issues, a “Green New Deal,” and housing and workers’ rights; she has also been sharply critical of President Joe Biden on the Israel-Hamas war.
She has pushed back in the past against claims that her campaign could be seen as a “spoiler” for either major party candidate — allegations she also faced in 2016 during a previous presidential run.
In an interview in June, Stein told ABC News, “Just because the two major parties have thrown workers under the bus; have really made a mess out of our climate; and embroiled us in endless wars that are endangering the whole world … Just because those two parties have basically overseen that process of screwing the American electorate. I don’t think that entitles them to your vote.”
(CHICAGO) — The venues may have changed, and the planning and special events may have gotten splashier with younger VIPs, but for more than 40 years, there has been one constant at Democratic Party conventions: Bill Clinton.
The former president, who just turned 78, is scheduled to speak ahead of Gov. Tim Walz at Wednesday night’s gathering, marking his 13th time making remarks at the event.
Clinton’s address will be hopeful and aspirational, according to a source familiar with its contents.
The source also said it will include fiery, newsworthy jabs aimed at former President Donald Trump and will highlight the qualities that make for a responsible, qualified commander in chief in the nation’s highest office.
His speech is expected to highlight the striking differences in vision, experience and temperament between Harris and Trump, the source said, underscoring the vice president’s story and what her candidacy means for the nation.
Wednesday’s speech is his 13th
His timeline at the conventions showcased his rise through the party ranks to the top of the Democratic ticket and being enshrined as one of its most prominent historical figures.
After giving a brief speech at the 1976 convention, where he talked about the legacy of former President Harry Truman, Clinton was invited to speak at the 1980 convention when he was freshman governor of Arkansas.
The 33-year-old gave a brief speech, talking about his upbringing in Hope, Arkansas, and the dreams for his then 6-month-old daughter Chelsea.
Between that convention and the next, Clinton had lost one gubernatorial reelection and won another, earning the nickname “the comeback kid.” Speaking at the 1984 convention, representing the New Democrats movement, Clinton invoked Harry Truman in his pitch to the Democrats.
“He began the Democratic Party’s historic commitment to civil rights and brought the United States into peacetime cooperation with other nations,” he said.
Clinton was given a major speaking slot at the 1988 DNC with a primetime speech ahead of the nomination of Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.
The speech turned out to be memorable but in the wrong way. Clinton spoke for 35 minutes, much longer than his planned 15, boring the crowd.
In fact, one of the loudest responses came at the end when Clinton told the crowd, “In closing.”
He would get a different reception four years later at the DNC at New York’s Madison Square Garden when he accepted the party’s nomination for president.
‘The Man from Hope’
Before his speech, an autobiographical video was played titled “The Man from Hope,” a theme that Clinton emphasized in a 53-minute speech.
“I still believe in a place called Hope,” he told the roaring crowd.
During his speech at the 1996 DNC, Clinton flipped the message of his Republican opponent Sen. Bob Dole, who campaigned on the idea of being a bridge to the past.
“Let us resolve to build a bridge to the 21st century,” he said.
Clinton’s next appearance at the DNC came after rough four years at the White House. He became the second president to be impeached on perjury and obstruction of justice charges following an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
The Senate later acquitted him on those charges.
Clinton entered the Staples Arena during the 2000 DNC with a camera following his path to the podium while the arena’s screen displayed his administration’s successes such as the first budget surplus in decades and declines in crime.
“My fellow Americans, the future of our country is now in your hands,” he said. “And remember, whenever you think about me, keep putting people first.”
In 2004, Clinton told Democratic delegates that he came as a “foot soldier” to help elect Sen. John Kerry.
He reminded the nation that was in the midst of two wars in the Middle East following the Sept. 11 attacks of more peaceful times.
When Hillary Clinton ran against Barack Obama
In 2008, Clinton began the campaign season championing Sen. Hillary Clinton in her bid for the Democratic nominee, even taking jabs at her competitor then Sen. Barack Obama.
Clinton showed no animosity towards Obama during his speech at the 2008 DNC.
“Senator Obama’s life is a 21st century incarnation of the old-fashioned American dream. His achievements are proof of our continuing progress toward the more perfect union of our founders’ dreams,” he said.
Clinton would repeat this sentiment during his remarks four years later.
In 2016, Clinton took the DNC stage in another new role as the spouse of the Democratic presidential candidate. In his speech, he talked about their relationship and her resolve to help Americans.
“But for this time, Hillary is uniquely qualified to seize the opportunities and reduce the risks we face. And she is still the best darn change-maker I have ever known,” he said.
Like other speakers, Clinton’s appearance at the 2020 DNC was done virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In just video message recorded from his Chappaqua, New York home, Clinton reassured voters that former Vice President Joe Biden was the best candidate to lead America back.
“It’s Trump’s “Us vs. Them” America against Joe Biden’s America, where we all live and work together. It’s a clear choice. And the future of our country is riding on it,” he said.
ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — With about six weeks until Election Day, former President Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail with stops in battleground Pennsylvania on Monday.
Vice President Kamala Harris is in Washington to meet with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Trump expected to return to Butler for a rally on Oct. 5: Sources
Trump is expected to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, the city of his first assassination attempt, next Saturday for a rally, according to multiple sources familiar with his plans.
The rally is scheduled for Oct. 5.
Trump has long promised to return to Butler to honor the victims who died at his July rally.
“I WILL BE GOING BACK TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, FOR A BIG AND BEAUTIFUL RALLY, HONORING THE SOUL OF OUR BELOVED FIREFIGHTING HERO, COREY, AND THOSE BRAVE PATRIOTS INJURED TWO WEEKS AGO. WHAT A DAY IT WILL BE — FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS,” Trump wrote on his social media platform in July.
NBC News was first to report the news.
ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Lalee Ibssa, Kesley Walsh and Soorin Kim
Harris won’t attend the Al Smith dinner, a presidential campaign staple
Vice President Harris will not attend the Al Smith dinner next month in New York, breaking with tradition of major party nominees sharing laughs at the benefit dinner, and will instead be on the campaign trail, a campaign official confirmed to ABC News.
“She is going to be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximize her time in the battlegrounds this close to the election,” the official said.
The dinner, which benefits Catholic Charities, is scheduled for Oct. 17. It has become a traditional stop on the presidential campaign trail, with both the Republican and Democratic nominees attending and delivering remarks full of roasts. In recent years, both nominees attended the gala, including in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. (The latter was virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic.)
The official also added that Harris’ team informed the dinner’s organizers she would be absent, but was willing to attend in a later year as president.
ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabrielle Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie
Melania Trump to sit for her 1st interview of 2024 election cycle
Former first lady Melania Trump will sit down for her first interview of the 2024 election cycle with Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt as she continues to promote her new book.
The interview is set to air on Thursday, Fox announced on Monday.
While Melania Trump has remained relatively quiet this campaign cycle, mainly appearing with the former president at closed-door events, she has been more active online recently as she launches her forthcoming memoir, “Melania.”
Her book is scheduled to be released on Oct. 8. Her website describes it in part as “the powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has defined personal excellence, overcome adversity, and carved her own path.”
ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Trump again says it’s too late for another debate amid challenges from Harris
Trump is again ruling out another debate against Harris, arguing it would be “a very bad thing” for the country.
“Well, I’ve already done two debates, and they, you know, we’re good, but to do a third one, everybody’s voting now, and it’s very late to be doing a third debate,” Trump told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin in a phone conversation that aired Monday morning.
Harris said over the weekend she accepted an offer from CNN for a debate on Oct. 23.
Her team has also noted that there have been presidential debates in years past in the final weeks before Election Day.
“The final 2020 debate was October 22,” the Harris campaign wrote on X. “The proposed CNN debate is October 23.”
Trump also debated Hillary Clinton for a third time around the same timeframe: Oct. 19, 2016.
Trump slightly leads in Arizona, about even in North Carolina: Polls
A set of New York Times/Siena College polls found Trump slightly leads Harris in Arizona and they are about evenly matched in North Carolina.
Among likely voters in Arizona, Trump leads Harris 50% to 45% in a head-to-head matchup. In a six-way matchup with other candidates, Trump still leads Harris 48% to 43%.
In North Carolina, Trump also leads Harris among likely voters 49% to 47%. He also leads by 2 percentage points in a six-way matchup. The lead, however, is within the poll’s margin of error.
Arizona and North Carolina are considered crucial battlegrounds this election, along with Georgia. According to 538’s polling average, Trump is ahead slightly in each of the three Sun Belt states.
